Rances Barthelemy vs. Antonio DeMarco: Winner, Scorecards and Reaction

A busy Father's Day weekend of boxing came to its conclusion on Sunday afternoon, as Premier Boxing Champions presented a second card in two days from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, this time featuring a main event between former world champions Antonio DeMarco of Mexico and undefeated Rances Barthelemy of Cuba.     

After Iraq War veteran Sammy Vasquez won a valiant and bloody unanimous decision over tough gatekeeper Wale Omotoso, the main event had a high bar established in order to prevent the undercard from stealing the show. 

With two losses in his last five fights, DeMarco was looking to make a big impression against the undefeated Barthelemy. 

From the opening bell, Barthelemy fought in his typical relaxed mode, easily evading DeMarco's punches in the first round and finding range to land with his straight right on the southpaw DeMarco—then switching to a southpaw stance and scoring with his straight left. 

In Round 2, DeMarco tried to make adjustments and cut the ring off, but Barthelemy continued to switch stances, evade punches and pick DeMarco off in return with flush punches. While there were no real fireworks in the first two rounds of the fight, the tone was set. 

Like so many of the former Cuban amateur standouts, Barthelemy is a true ring general, controlling distance and tempo expertly. He is the boxing equivalent of a great baseball pitcher, such as 2015 Hall of Fame inductee Pedro Martinez, changing speeds with his punches in order to lull his opponents and then making his straight, fast punches seem even quicker when they come. 

Barthelemy connected with one of those "fastballs" in Round 4, dropping DeMarco with just over a minute left in the round. DeMarco beat the count, and Barthelemy remained patient, stalking for another big punch. He landed two more inside the final 10 seconds of the round, though DeMarco was braced for them and kept his feet. 

DeMarco continued to show heart and attempt to press the action during the middle rounds, forcing exchanges in the sixth and getting the worst of it as a result. In Round 7, Barthelemy continued to baffle and punish the tough but overmatched former lightweight champion. 

By Round 8, Barthelemy was flat-out toying with DeMarco, dropping his hands to invite an attack. After absorbing rounds of punishment, DeMarco was hesitant to let his hands go. When DeMarco finally did attack with under 20 seconds left in the round, Barthelemy pounded his body and head and spun him into the corner, where he battered him further. 

Referee Kenny Weeks deducted a point from Barthelemy in Round 9 for straying below the trunks and hitting DeMarco on the hip once too often. Still, the penultimate round was among the most dominant of the fight for the Cuban, as he landed one hard, flush straight left hand after another, along with several right hooks to the jaw.

The 10th and final round looked almost exactly like the previous nine, with Barthelemy continuing to control the range and switch back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stances while picking DeMarco apart.

DeMarco continued to show heart, and the fight ended with both men flurrying in the center of the ring with aggression. But, in the end, it was a masterful performance by Barthelemy, who scarcely seemed to breathe hard.

All three judges had it the same, a 99-89 shutout for Barthelemy.                                              

Adalaide Byrd	99-89	Barthelemy
Richard Ocasio	99-89	Barthelemy
Burt A. Clements	99-89	Barthelemy

This was Barthelemy's debut fight at light welterweight after campaigning at super featherweight. That's a 10-pound jump, but the 5'11" Barthelemy hardly looked small at 140 pounds. 

He did seem to lack some of the same explosive power he had at 130 pounds, but he had more than enough power and accuracy to keep a very tough fighter at bay. Barthelemy will be a handful for anybody in the world at 140 pounds. 

It's worth noting that, like most of the Cuban stars, his greatest strength, in a sense, is also his greatest weakness. Barthelemy's controlled, strategic approach allows him to win round after round, just as is so often the case for his countrymen, Erislandy Lara and Guillermo Rigondeaux. 

At the same time, boxing is part show business, and the relaxed, passionless manner Barthelemy fights with could end up hurting him in the box office and also against opponents who are more skilled at applying pressure than DeMarco. 

Barthelemy seemed content to pile up a lead and avoid damage. From a strategic perspective, it's hard to argue with that. But paying fans tend to favor fighters who will push for the knockout.

As boxing writer Patrick Conner noted on Twitter:  

At the amateur level, simply winning is always enough. But at the pro level, lacking star power can hurt a fighter's career. Barthelemy is in the same mold as Lara and Guillermo, a very tough opponent whom nobody is going to be anxious to fight.

Steve Kim of the Undisputed Champion Network noted:  

Lacking the star power to force the other big names to meet him, Barthelemy could end up finding himself on the outside looking in at times.

Still, there's no denying that this was an outstanding showcase fight for him. In a big boxing weekend, he finished Sunday afternoon off in impressive fashion.